Fire Melts Glass
by Tessan Neveaux
Summary: Andrea(Andy) Jacoby is the result of an affair that happened years ago between Evelyn Eaton and a Candor. When she finds out she is Divergent, she transfers factions to be with her brother.


_Divergent._

The word rang over and over in my head as I slowly walked home. I didn't know what it was, but I knew from the way the Abnegation woman said it, like she were afraid to even think about it, that it wasn't good. I knew my results were not going to be Candor, and even if they were I wouldn't have chosen it, but I had at least hoped that they would have served as some type of answer to which faction I should choose.

Apparently, I had potential for four out of five factions, which was rare for even a Divergent. Candor was one, although I have no idea how. In Candor, everything was black and white, out in the open. No one had any secrets or privacy, and I hated that. I hated people not being able to get into someone's business, because they didn't even have any business to keep to themselves. Even our houses were made of mainly all windows, which were kept open all the time.

Abnegation, Dauntless, and Amity were also an option. None of these made any sense to me. Abnegation, I supposed, was the most possible candidate. I knew how to keep my mouth shut, which was practically unheard of for Candor. I usually found that you learned more about people by shutting up and observing them rather than confront them about every dark childhood secret they had. But I also knew that I was too selfish to ever consider Abnegation.

I'm pretty positive the woman made a mistake when she told me that I had also qualified for Amity on my aptitude test. I felt like there were better things to do all day than pick apples and sing songs about how pretty flowers are.

There was only one other faction- Dauntless. I wasn't sure how I felt about Dauntless. They always seemed so reckless, but I envied them in a way. I wanted to feel the rush and the satisfaction of doing something that was so incredibly stupid, but exhilarating at the same time. I wanted to know exactly how much courage it would take to jump off of a moving train.

But I am not brave. If I was brave I would be able to tell the truth when my father asked me about not having a mother. And if I was brave I could face the brother I never met.

When I finally get home, I see my Dad inside making dinner. He still has his suit jacket and tie on. "Hey. How was it?" He turns his penetrating blue eyes to me, the eyes that don't miss anything.

"Fine." I didn't say anything else, because I knew that either the truth or some outrageous lie would come tumbling out, and I wasn't exactly sure which one was worse. I was glad that we weren't allowed to share the results of out tests, and actually, I'm pretty sure that rule was made specifically for especially nosy Candor.

"I told you it would be okay. Nothing to be nervous about." Expect for maybe the fact that I qualified for more than one faction, which is apparently considered dangerous.

Dinner was set on the table shortly, and I ate quickly, hoping to avoid any questions that Dad may ask. He was reading the newspaper, so I was probably safe. God knows how long he would sit there and analyze every article hoping to find some hidden truth in the words on the page. He generally didn't trust the paper, although I could understand why considering that it came from the Erudite. The Erudites were probably the most dishonest faction as a whole. Dad said they were too ambitious for their own good, which sounded like something an Abnegation would say.

It makes me wonder if my mother was the one who had told him that. I knew that my dad had an affair with a women from Abnegation. It was how I had been born. He has never said so, but I know that he regrets it, even if it meant that he had never had me. He had an affair with a woman from a different faction, and the result was a daughter who apparently didn't fit into any faction. Maybe I will just be factionless.

I climb up the stairs to my room, probably the only thing I will miss when I leave. A thick black comforter covers the modest bed, and across from it on the other wall was a desk made completely of clear glass. The carpet was soft and white with black throw rugs over it at the threshold and by the bed.

The only thing that truly bothers me is the huge window that stretches across the majority of the wall. Every other house on the block has a clear view into your room, and you into theirs. I quickly walked over to it and pulled closed the curtain for the first time in my life. The neighbors would more than likely talk about me later. I wouldn't be here long enough to hear what they say.

I wake up in the morning and start getting ready for the Choosing Ceremony. I pull on my black pants that cling to my skin down the whole leg, and throw on a black vest over my white button-down. Another reason people don't like me here- my clothing choices are a little less... traditional than they would like.

The way down to the Hub is quiet and tense. A tiny blonde girl from Abnegation gives her seat up to my dad on the bus, and I wonder if she is as scared as I am. What happens if they find out I am Divergent? They aren't allowed to kill me... are they? I look down at my outfit, and suddenly become self-conscious. It attracts too much attention; it doesn't blend in enough. Now I realize that's it not a matter of just where I want to go anymore- it's where I'll be safest.

I knew that wherever I went I would attract attention. I was too opinionated and aggressive to go to Amity, and I knew that in Abnegation I would stick out just like I do in Candor. I might could do it, but I would never be able to truly blend in.

Where was the one place I would be able to blend in by sticking out?

Dauntless.

The finality of my decision brings no relief, as I had hoped it would. Instead it just brings more anxiety. I am going to be with my brother who doesn't even know that I exist. Will I recognize him? Will he look like me? I can almost see a boy with hazel eyes like mine, and a thick head of copper brown hair. I wonder if his face will have the same angular shape that mine does, or if he will have softer features.

The bus has stopped, and I avoid looking at my dad as we step into an elevator, coincidentally, with a bunch of Dauntless. I will be joining them in just a few hours, and I'm not sure if the shaking in my hands is from excitement or fear. The elevator stops, and just as I am about to step off and go sit with the other kids from my faction, my dads puts his hand on my shoulder and turns me around, looking directly into my eyes.

"Your not coming back." It's a statement, not a question, and it doesn't surprise me that my dad knows. Dad may be many things, but ignorant is not one of them. Even he could see that I would never fit into Candor.

Instead of saying anything, I step up on my toes and wrap my arms around his neck. I have never been very affectionate, so I can tell he is surprised when he tenses and then slowly relaxes. He quickly returns my hug and then pulls away. I run off, saying nothing, to sit in my assigned spot.

I don't even listen to the speech. It's practically the same every year, except this year the speech was given by Marcus Eaton, the father of my brother. Next they began announcing names in reverse alphabetical order- I was going to be here for a while.

There was a sudden increase in the volume of voices as they rose in protest. I looked up to see that the girl that I had seen on the bus earlier- Beatrice Prior- had transferred to Dauntless. The next name was quickly called and the noise died down again.

"Andrea Hale."

I jump from my seat and walk to the five bowls, no uncertainty or anxiety in my step. I take the knife and hold it in my hand. I gently slice it over my right palm- I am left-handed- and watch as my blood bubbles and mixes with the other initiates' on the burning coals.


End file.
